A modest Quaker school secluded in the trees next to Laskin Road has cut a deal with a developer that will shrink its footprint in half.
Virginia Beach Friends School sold seven of its 13 acres to The Breeden Company last week as it looks to reconfigure its already small campus.
The Breeden Company will build new, high-end apartments on the land that is currently used for the school’s soccer field and gymnasium. Friends School will continue to occupy the parcel for two years while formulating plans for a new multi-use building on its condensed campus.
“It’s a really exciting time for the school,” said Mike Barclay, who took over the helm as Friends School administrator two years ago. “Our goal is to keep the program moving forward and to continue to grow our enrollment.”
Quakers, also referred to as Friends, are a Christian denomination defined by their belief that God lives in every human being. They’re known for embracing simplicity in how they live and worship, which often includes silent meditation.
Barclay did not disclose the sale price for the land, and a spokesperson for the developer could not be reached Monday.
Friends School offers classes for toddlers through eighth grade. It closed its upper school last year because of a decline in enrollment, said Joanne Young, clerk of the school committee, which is its board of directors. Only the senior class has stayed to graduate in 2021.
Enrollment has doubled over the last couple of years, with more than half of the 137 students in kindergarten or below. Around 60% of its students are new, which is partly due to families seeking in-person education for their children during the pandemic, Barclay said.
The school grounds are sandwiched between Laskin Road to the north and I-264 to the south. Its campus is a hodgepodge of buildings already bordered by two apartment complexes: The Courtyards of Chanticleer and Arbor Trace. Breeden’s new apartments will be situated in the back of the campus with entry off of Donna Drive, Barclay said.
On Monday morning, inside an old beach cottage next to the gymnasium, kindergartners wearing masks cut and pasted paper to create haunted houses inspired by observing nature, said art teacher James O’Connor, one of about 25 adults who work at Friends School.
Quakers Louise and Bob Wilson founded the school in 1955 behind Friends Meeting house, where worship is held. It started as a preschool and more grades were added through the years.
The Quaker curriculum is centered around values that include stewardship, peace and equality. At Friends School, students tend to a robust garden and participate in a gentler version of dodgeball where players strike below the knees.
“There something very unique about a Quaker education,” said Young, whose son was a student at the school. “It really engaged him and got him excited about learning.”
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com
